Waiter carefully delivered a tea tray, balancing it with two steaming cups of tea.

As he approached the sofa, he was intercepted by Wang Xiao, who took one cup from the tray and handed it to the elegant and poised lady sitting there. “Madam, your tea.”

The lady accepted it without a word.

Wang Xiao then presented the other cup to another graceful and charming young lady on the sofa. “Miss Tan, your tea.”

Miss Tan took the tea with a polite smile. “Thank you.”

“Why did you come instead? Where is Yanqing?” Mrs. Gu sipped her tea and looked up at Wang Xiao.

“He had an unexpected matter to attend to, Madam. He might not be able to return for now,” Wang Xiao replied respectfully.

“An unexpected matter? What matter? Didn’t I tell him that even if the President of M Country came, he should make time to come back for dinner?” Mrs. Gu’s voice was tinged with restrained anger.

Wang Xiao remained silent.

Suppressing her frustration, Mrs. Gu instructed sharply, “Call him.”

Wang Xiao dared not defy Mrs. Gu’s order and promptly took out his phone to dial Gu Yanqing’s number.

Setting her tea cup down, Miss Tan interjected with a smile, “It’s alright if he doesn’t come back. I’ll be staying in the country for a while anyway. We’ll meet sooner or later. If Mr. Gu is busy, let him be busy.”

“You don’t know. He’s shifted his business focus to City C now. It’s rare for him to come back,” Mrs. Gu explained with a hint of disappointment.

“I see,” Miss Tan observed the tea leaves floating in her cup, “Mr. Gu is as formidable and intelligent as I remember, and he’s just as successful in business.”

Mrs.Gu’s smile crept up to her eyes.

She set down her tea cup and remarked, “What’s the use of doing well in business if he can’t balance it with family? I specifically told him to come back for dinner today, but he’s probably off meeting some business partner again.”

Miss Tan replied softly with a gentle smile, “Let him be busy with his work. Business is important, and there will always be opportunities to meet. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. I enjoy chatting with you.”

“You’re so understanding,” Mrs. Gu sighed. “Yanqing has always been stubborn, doing things his own way without consulting anyone, just like his father.”

“It’s probably his personality,” Miss Tan mused. “Honestly, I never expected that after all these years abroad, he’d still be single when I returned. I thought he would have been quite popular and married early.”

“Being popular is one thing, but he refuses to settle down. I never wanted to interfere in my children’s marriages. If he likes someone, that’s fine with me. But now he’s 30 years old, showing no interest in settling down. Every one of his peers has settled down long ago. Can you imagine my frustration?”

Miss Tan chuckled lightly, “It’s the same with me. My parents are also anxious, wishing I’d find someone and settle down right away.”

Miss Tan’s words weren’t an intentional attempt to flatter, but they resonated deeply with Mrs. Gu, boosting her opinion of her.

….

Meanwhile, after arranging for a courier to send out her belongings, Xu Han decided to move out.

Since Gu Yanqing had just helped her out, his suggestion for dinner seemed reasonable, and Xu Han found it hard to refuse.

They went to a restaurant called “Fragrance Garden,” which was quite famous in the city.

It was a bit hard to find, but with Gu Yanqing around, who had connections, everything was taken care of.

They just needed to go and eat.

When they were heading there, Xu Han was supposed to ride in Tang Yue’s car.

However, the back seat of Tang Yue’s car was piled high with things she had brought, and she couldn’t sit in the front while holding the child.

So, Xu Han reluctantly got into Gu Yanqing’s car, sitting in the back with the little boy, exchanging curious glances.

Should she take this opportunity to score some points?

Xu Han shamelessly thought it was a good idea!

So, Xu Han put on a smile that even she felt was fake. “Did you like the vegetable snacks just now?”

“They were delicious,” Gu Mingyuan nodded vigorously, licking his lips as if savoring the taste.

He looked up at Xu Han with his small face, “Auntie, where did you buy them?”

“Oh, I didn’t buy them. I grew the vegetables and made them myself.”

“Wow,” admiration shone in the little boy’s eyes, “Auntie, you’re amazing.”

As the male lead, Gu Mingyuan had good looks and a mixed-race charm that set him apart from other kids.

Xu Han couldn’t help but feel her inner weird aunt screaming at how cute he was.

So cuteee, I want to pinch his cheeks.

Ahem.

“If you like them, Auntie will bring you some to take home later.”

I hope you’ll be merciful when dealing with my son in the future.

Gu Mingyuan’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Auntie.”

Gu Yanqing, driving ahead, listened to their interaction with a faint smile in the corner of his eyes.

For some reason, compared to Qiao Wanqing, who had used extreme measures to spend a night with him and wanted him to take responsibility, the current situation was really different.

The current situation was much cuter.

At that moment, Gu Yanqing’s phone rang.

Seeing it was Wang Xiao calling, he didn’t hesitate and answered via Bluetooth hands-free in the car, “What’s the matter?”

“Madam asks you to come back, Miss Tan is here.”

Gu Yanqing: “…”

He subconsciously glanced at Xu Han in the rearview mirror and saw her expression freeze.

Gu Yanqing kept an eye on the road, turned off the hands-free to avoid distraction, picked up his phone, and asked, “What does she want?”

Xu Han did freeze momentarily upon hearing Wang Xiao’s words, not because she minded anything, but because… upon hearing ‘Miss Tan,’ she finally remembered who Tan Yue was!

In the book, in the older generation, Tan Yue’s sister, Tan Xiaoxi, liked Gu Yanqing.

However, because Gu Yanqing didn’t like her, nothing came of it, leading to lingering resentment from the Tan family.

Tan Yue later caused some trouble for the male lead in his career, but it was all used by the author to upgrade the male lead’s experiences.

Because the author wasn’t very good at writing business battle plots, the details were not very detailed.

In addition, Tan Yue belonged to the older generation, so only a few strokes were mentioned.

Xu Han didn’t think of it for a while.

In the book, it seems to say that Miss Tan is not so easy to deal with, with high IQ and EQ, not like Qiao Wanqing, a woman with only a high IQ, who is easily confused by a little finger, Tan Yue who causing Gu Yanqing a lot of headaches.

So, Xu Han excitedly rubbed her hands, Gu Yanqing was about to hit the nails!

After Gu Yanqing finished the call, Xu Han suppressed her inner joy and tried to sound calm, even adding a hint of melancholy, “If you have something to attend to, go ahead.”

Gu Yanqing tossed his phone aside and said, “What, trying to skip out on a meal?”

“…How could that be? You’ve practically lived off my hospitality at home!”

“So, one more time won’t hurt.”

Xu Han: “…”

The nerve!

Is this the Gu Yanqing she knew?

In the book, he was already in his fifties.

She remembered the description of him being reserved, steady, sharp, and possessing the typical control of a successful person, often leading to friction with the male lead.

But the current Gu Yanqing was clearly heading in an shameless direction.

Hey, President Gu, did you lose your character setting?

Upon arriving, Gu Yanqing parked the car and let Xu Han and the others out first.

Winter days grew dark quickly, especially under today’s overcast sky.

It wasn’t even 5 o’clock yet, but outside, the night was already setting in with dim street lights and bustling traffic and noise.

Compared to the silence of Dongyang Village at night, it was like two different worlds.

Koukou, a young villager visiting the city for the first time, had been half-awake and amused by Tang Hei at the airport, so he hadn’t paid much attention to the surroundings.

Now, as evening fell, Koukou was incredibly excited.

His way of expressing excitement was direct: kicking his feet, waving his hands, and drooling.

Despite being small, Koukou had quite some strength, and Xu Han soon grew tired of carrying him.

“If you keep kicking, Mommy will throw you away,” Xu Han said sternly to Koukou, trying to discipline him.

But Koukou thought Xu Han was playing with him and became even happier, dancing in her arms.

The little sprout of a male lead tugged at her clothes and innocently asked, “Why would you throw away such a cute little brother?”

Xu Han: “…”

Her heart was so tired.

Gu Yanqing parked the car and came over to see Xu Han frowning and carrying Koukou, looking exhausted.

He said, “Let me take him.”

Xu Han quickly handed Koukou over to him.

One time carrying was the same as carrying twice; she had given up struggling.

She comforted herself that it would be better once they left here.

Then she could perform her act of pretending not to know anyone, and Gu Yanqing wouldn’t eat her up.

Hmm, that’s how shameless she was.

Tang Hei also parked and came over.

She had seen from afar that these four people looked like a perfect family of four — handsome man, beautiful woman, and two adorable kids.

They were a perfect match, attracting many onlookers without any sense of mismatch.

She remembered her best friend saying that Gu Yanqing didn’t seem to like her at all, and now she wondered if she was hallucinating.

Gu Yanqing didn’t seem unfriendly at all.

Could it be that he compromised for the sake of the children?

Ah, Tang Hei felt a bit regretful.

Although her best friend was indeed vain and greedy, she had a good heart and had changed a lot.

If they could really be together with Gu Yanqing, things wouldn’t be so complicated.

The group entered the restaurant, and the waiter led them to the reserved private room.

Koukou hadn’t had any milk since he woke up, and Xu Han was worried he might be hungry, so she asked the waiter to bring him a bowl of steamed egg custard to eat.

It seemed Gu Yanqing’s presence had opened a VIP channel for them.

Just as they finished ordering their dishes, a steaming bowl of egg custard arrived promptly at their table, with the waiter even providing a small spoon.

At that moment, Koukou was in Gu Yanqing’s arms when Xu Han suddenly got mischievous.

She pushed the bowl of custard towards Gu Yanqing and said, “You feed him.”

Gu Yanqing: “…”

“Make sure to cool it down before feeding him, or he might get burned,” Xu Han added.

Gu Yanqing was awkward even holding the child, let alone feeding him.

The privilege of feeding his son for the first time definitely belonged to him.

Now holding his son, Gu Yanqing picked up the spoon.

Koukou was obviously hungry.

Seeing the bowl coming towards him, he reflexively knew it was something delicious and eagerly stared at it.

When Gu Yanqing scooped up a spoonful, Koukou opened his mouth (which only had two small teeth) to receive it.

But instead of feeding him, Gu Yanqing brought the spoon to his own mouth.

Koukou looked crestfallen in an instant.

His little mouth puckered, his face wrinkled with an expression of being hurt but not crying.

Gu Yanqing: “…”

He was just checking the temperature.